Updated Visiting Policy Statement – 14/09/20
It is with regret that we must inform you we have taken the decision to go back into full lockdown with immediate effect, all garden, window and in-house visits will now stop. There have been reports both in the media and from the department of health and social care of care homes seeing a sharp increase in the number of positive cases within both staff and resident groups as well as outbreaks being recorded in many care homes, something not seen over the past few months. We feel a full lockdown is currently the most appropriate option to protect our residents and staff. We will continue to allow visits for health and social care practitioners that are essential for the health and wellbeing of the residents.
End of Life Visits:
One person can visit at any one time and there will be one visit permitted per day for 30 minutes.
Our nursing staff are experienced in the management of end of life care and can generally predict when a resident is nearing their final few hours of life and at this point one family member should be contacted if it is their wish to spend a further 30 minutes with the resident. (Obviously, there will be occasions when it is not possible to predict that someone is nearing their last few hours of life.)
Our rationale for limiting end of life visits to 30 minutes is so that the nursing and care staff can undertake the care provision often required with end of life care, this can include:
- The checking and changing of syringe drivers for medication.
- To administer pain relief and other medication that might be required.
- To provide oral hygiene care, pressure area care and continence care.
It is not possible to allow visitors to use communal areas or toilet facilities within the building and we will not be offering any refreshments.
VISITORS (end of life visits only) MUST:
- Be free of the following COVID-19 symptoms on the day of their visit (high temperature, a loss of taste and/or smell and have a continuous cough.)
- Be honest when completing the screening risk assessment form.
- Comply with infection prevention and control measures requested of them by staff.
- Ensure that any gifts brought for the resident can be sanitised in accordance with infection prevention & control guidance.
- Ensure they do not visit if they have had contact with anyone in receipt of a positive Covid-19 test result or have been in contact with anyone with symptoms.
- If they have returned to the UK from any country on the UK quarantine list within the last 14 days, visits to the care home are not permitted under any circumstances.
Victoria Nursing Group Ltd will review this policy statement in accordance with national guidance and through our own internal dynamic risk assessments. In the event of any suspected or confirmed cases or outbreaks of COVID-19, visitor restrictions may need to be immediately implemented which will suspend these enabling approaches and will include exclusion of any non-essential visitors. This will of course be communicated to residents and relatives by the Registered Manager.